Amazing Gracie by Sherryl Woods

                Before I talk about this book, I will give a warning.  There is very little to complain about this story, but there is one big thing.  At least to me it is a big thing.  The title character can be irritating.  Thankfully these moments do not stretch throughout the whole book and are resolved fairly quickly.        

                Gracie has spent years at her hotel job in France.  She likes everything just so.  When her new boss begins to change things to the inferior, Gracie gets fed up and quits.  Without anywhere to truly go, Gracie decides to visit a place in Virginia she remembers as a child.  This is only meant to be temporary as a chance to figure out the next step in her life.  During her visit, Gracie discovers a Victorian house.  She becomes inspired and dreams of turning the house into a bed and breakfast.  There is one big problem.  Even though no one lives in the house, the owner will not sell.  This is where Gracie gets irritating.  Kevin is the owner of the house.  When Gracie first goes to speak to him about selling it, she finds him taking some time off in his day to relax.  She immediately assumes that he is lazy.  Based on only what she sees in front of her, Gracie believes she knows everything there is to know about Kevin and that there is not the possibility of anything different.  Of course when Kevin tries to do the same back on her, judge Gracie purely by what he sees, she puffs up and declares how ridiculous that thought is.  Oh, hypocrisy.  What Gracie does not know is the amount of responsibility Kevin has on his shoulders.  When his uncle died Kevin was left in charge of his uncle’s money, and in return his adult cousins.  This creates very stressful situations as one cousin in particular does not do well with money and investments.  Kevin also lives with and cares for his elderly Aunt Delia.  Then there is his cousin’s daughter who Kevin frequently has to rescue.  On top of this Kevin has his actual professional career.  In order to relax, Kevin takes some time in his hammock.  When Kevin discovers Gracie’s preconceived notions about him, he has a great time tormenting her with them.  It does not take too long for Gracie to open her eyes and see who Kevin really is. 

                There are many characters in this book, but in some ways the most interesting is Aunt Delia.  She may have lived a lot of years, but she has a lot of fire.  I like that, especially since it comes from a kind and caring heart.  Also, the story contains more than one love story.  Gracie and Kevin being the main characters are obvious, but the rest I will keep a secret.